The Consul’s Daughter
Teuder Bonython owns and runs a successful shipyard in Cornwall. His daughter, Caseley, has a flair for business and, since her father is terminally ill, she has taken over the running of the yard. Into the picture comes Jago Barata, half-Spanish, half-English and captain of one of the Bonython ships.
From occasional references given, this tale would appear to be set in the Victorian era, but it could be set anywhere in any century. There are no historical links to any known Victorian personality or event apart from a rather nebulous involvement in the Carlist uprisings in Spain, but even then that is only used as a reason for Caseley carrying a package to Santander for her sick father and being forced to sail on the same ship on which Jago just happens to be the captain.
The book would have benefited from the attention of a proof-reader. The story itself is good and well-paced, it has a slightly different stance to the usual “boy meets girl who initially hate each other before falling into each other’s arms,” and it keeps the pages turning. It would certainly pass the time on a long flight or a boring, wet afternoon. An historical romance rather than an historical novel.
